The Long Road to Hogsmeade: Nemesis et al YR 6
by Mercurial
Summary: In his 6th year, Harry eagerly awaits spectacular Quidditch Matches, and Exciting Duels. However, upon arival, the trio learns of a spy at Hogwarts. But in the background, Voldemort steadily gathering his lost powers. R for violence, sexual scenes, etc.
1. To be called Madam

**The Long Road to Hogsmeade: Nemesis et al YR 6**

A return to Privet Drive returned drought to Harry's life. The deadly sun had transformed the once lush, sleepy town of Little Whinging, Surrey into a barren wasteland. Harry looked down the street from his post under the dead tree in the front yard, he seemed to be the only living thing on the road, as every other living creature in the surrounding neighborhood were hiding in cold, air conditioned homes-or on vacation to some frozen mountain region. 

He looked longingly at his previous spot under the window. The dirt in the flowerbed had long since dried and cracked. To be truthful, you could no longer call the flower bed a 'flower' bed, as there was just more dust in it than anything else. 

Mr. Number five, Privet Drive, was heavily fined during the start of summer. His lawn now reflected a lovely shade of death, like their surroundings. 

The summer, so far, had been meaningless at best. With the added threat of Harry's protectorates, the Dursleys had simply taken to ignoring him. To his displeasure, Uncle Vernon still refused to allow him to watch the news. 

With Sirius' death, things had suddenly become very ordinary. Ron was at a loss for words, and in his letters, had simply taken to talking about the Chudley Cannon's latest game. Hermione had at first wanted to discuss it with him, but it wasn't the type of thing that Harry wished to talk about. He had even stopped sending Hedwig to her in hopes that she would be unable to communicate with him for the summer. Hermione had been herself, and Harry was not very surprised when a letter turned up on his pillow from her. 

As the sun finally invaded the bit of shade Harry had taken refuge under, he went in side the house. He quickly rushed behind the chair that his uncle sat idly in, and went to his room. It was to no surprise that he found a few letters waiting for him. He shifted through the total of three letters. Unsurprisingly, the first one was a checkup letter from Moody. The ex-Auror had taken to sending a rather hefty amount over the break. The second seemed to contain a blank piece of parchment. They were being sent all summer it seemed. He had asked Lupin about them-Lupin confiscated one for analysis, and suggested that he find a way to burn the rest of them. Harry simply slid it under his bed, with the a few others he had received. His heart gave a leap when he glanced at the last letter. It was his owl results. His fingers shook as they ripped the seal of his future. He felt like Hermione for a second. 

Ordinary Wizarding Level   
Examination Results for: Potter, Harry J.  
Released by Griselda Marchbanks,   
Department Head of Wizarding Examinations Authority,  
Ministry of Magic 

Passing Scores Failing Scores  
  
O = Outstanding P = Poor  
E = Exceeds Expectations D = Dreadful  
A = Acceptable T = Terrible  
  
Arithmacy  
Theory N/a  
Practical N/a  
  
Astronomy  
Theory O  
Practical A  
  
Care of Magical Creatures  
Theory O  
Practical O  
  
Charms  
Theory O  
Practical O  
  
Defense Against the Dark Arts  
Theory O  
Practical O  
  
Divination  
Practical P  
  
Herbology  
Theory E  
Practical E  
  
History of Magic  
Theory P  
  
Muggle Studies  
Theory N/a  
  
Potions  
Theory E  
Practical O  
  
Transfiguration  
Theory O  
Practical O  
  
Overall : Outstanding (14 passed, 2 failed)  
  


Harry nearly collapsed with the huge amount of relief that overcame him. The shock that he had gotten so many owls overwhelmed him. He quickly sat down to scrawl a letter to Hermione, he consciously decided not to tell Ron about his achievement so prematurely, as a great deal teasing was ensured. 

Just as he sent off Hedwig, a knocking could be heard at the door. Harry closed his window, and fell back onto his bed. He sighed deeply. His uncle was talking to someone down the stairs. The other voice belonged to a male, it was rather deep. He knew that voice from somewhere, he had a feeling he should recognize it. It calmed him to hear it. 

It hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew that voice. It was Sirius! Harry jumped off his bed, eyes wide. Sirius, he had returned for him. Harry rushed out his door, down the hall, and took the stairs-three at a time! Harry made it to the bottom of the stairs and saw his god father with his very own eyes. 

"Sirius!" he shouted with joy. Sirius looked exactly like he had remembered. Exactly like he had looked before he fell through the veil. From the uncombed hair to the short facial hair on his face. Vernon was hiding behind his beloved chair, he noticed. 

"Oh, uh, hi Harry." Said the man, with a half-wave, looking rather guilty. "Harry, it's time to go. Pack your things, I'll wait down here." 

"Oh... sure thing, Sirius." Harry jumped with joy by the thought of his godfather's return. He rushed up the stairs and quickly 'packed' the trunk that had never really been unpacked, before rushing to the bottom, once again. 

"Well, seeya." the figure half waved to the scared Vernon, before motioning to Harry to head out the door. 

There were a million questions that were on Harry's mind at the time. He didn't mean to let them all go at once, especially out in the open, but when the door closed, it seemed as if his mouth was a dam. He had to let all his water out. 

"Where have you been, Sirius? Why didn't you write to me? Did you miss me? I missed you so much. How are you doing? Did you get hurt?" 

"Wowa, kid. I think you should sit down." Said the figure. Sirius Black steered Harry to a seat on a bench outside Number four. He stared straight into Harry's eyes for a second before he began to change. Harry stared in awe as the face and body of Sirius Black morphed into the face and body of Tonks. Harry's face showed extreme disappointment. 

"Oh... Harry, I am so sorry-" 

"He's not coming back, is he?" 

"No..." she comforted him. "He has gone on forever. 

I am sorry I had to do that Harry-" 

He snapped back into reality. "Why did you have to do that?" 

"Well, the Order is in crisis. You see. We have a problem for you, worse than you-know-who." 

"What could be worse than Voldemort?" Harry asked. 

Tonks shivered at the use of his name. "Well, it appears that a Halfblood, by the name of Rowling, has written a manuscript. When the ministry found out about it, they attempted to use memory charms to erase the whole incident, but it seems that quite a few people have now read it, and it is proving to be a rather large task." 

"But what does this have to do with me?" 

"Well, you see, the book is about you. Somehow, she has found out several things about your first year, and is publishing them all in the muggle world. I am not sure if it is all true, but she seems to be accurate enough to worry Dumbledore quite a bit. So, he sent me to get you out of this location." She smiled. 

"I still don't understand, why did you have to look like Sirius?" Harry inquired. 

"Well, there was a need for a little speed. You see, we had to scare the muggles into letting us take you quickly. We would have just sent Mad-eye, but it seems that we can't find him." She wrinkled her nose. 

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Harry swallowed, thinking back to his fourth year. 

She looked puzzled for a moment or two, before she realized what he meant. "Heaven's no, Mad-eye has made himself owl proof, they all go directly to his home, instead. He has bewitched himself so no tracking spells or potions can work, and he constantly takes the liberty to go some place without telling us. Chances are that he is sitting in a pub some place. So now, all questions answered, shall we go?" She extracted an old shoe from the mass of cloaks she was wearing. He gave her a look. "Portkey," she confirmed, "it activates when we both hold it, so grab your stuff with one hand, and touch the shoe with your other. Don't worry, your owl will find you alright." 

A moment later both Tonks, and Harry had disappeared from Little Whinging 


	2. Was a wonderful thought

  
  
  
  
  


**The Long Road to Hogsmeade: Nemesis et al YR 6**   
  
**Chapter 2**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
When taking a portkey, one should be wary of who with which they travel. Harry thought this at some point after his face made contact with the hard gravel, but before Tonk's leg found its place on the back of the head. They had landed in one large heap. 

"Mmm, sorry," Tonks muttered apologetically. Harry and Tonks untangled themselves and had a look around. 

Harry quickly spotted Number 12, nestle between Number 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place. The duo made their way to the front of the house. The exterior of the house had changed little. The front door was still battered badly, and painted black. A twisted snake doorknob was all that was on the door. The outside of the house was dirty, with grimy windows placed oddly about it. 

Tonks rushed inside, relieved to have not tripped over the threshold. She turned her head backwards to grin at Harry, and in the process tripped over her feet. Within a second, she found herself reacquainting herself with the floor. Harry stepped inside the house after her, helping her up off the floor. 

The entrance hall had changed drastically. The first tip was that the disturbingly high-pitched screams and cries of the departed Mrs. Black were absent from the hall. The wall that had previously housed the portrait of Mrs. Black was now a red brick wall. 

Tonks caught him staring at the wall. "We couldn't remove the old broad, and we couldn't shut her up, so we just built a wall over her. She cried up a storm." Tonks put her ear to the brick wall and listened. Harry followed excitedly. 

"You worthless wenches! How dare you bring that terrible filth into the house of my fathers! Mudbloods! Blood trait—" 

He couldn't help but laugh. "So, where is everybody?" He asked slyly. 

"Erm, maybe in the kitchen?" 

Harry grinned at Tonks, and retreated quickly up the stairs to the room he had stayed in the previous summer. The double beds which had housed him and Ron previously had been replaced by a full Queen sized bed. 

He plopped his stuff down by the bed. Then he flopped himself backwards onto his bed. Tonks having immediately alerted the rest of the household, could be heard tripping up the stairs. Harry could make out several muffled footsteps, as the group had reached the carpeted corridor that the entrance to his room was located. 

A knock was placed on his door lightly. "Harry?" came Lupin's tired voice. 

"Erm, yes?" Harry replied with a slightly more than playful tone. 

"May we-Tonks, Hermione, and I that is- come in?" 

"Umm, I don't know... can you?" 

There was a slightly muffled whisper from outside the door. Suddenly, the door burst open. Hermione rushed in quickly followed by both Tonks, and Lupin. 

Hermione drew Harry into a swift hug. Over the few weeks he had been away, it was easy to see that Hermione had missed him much. Hermione looked much different then from what Harry remembered. Since he had last seen her, Hermione had changed drastically. Her bushy brunet hair was now straight. She seemed to fill out her cloths very well to, however, that could be because she was wearing muggle cloths, instead of the plain black Hogwarts work robes. 

Harry looked her down, allowing his eyes to stray slightly, he paused where she had been injured the previous end of term. 

She noticed his stare. "Its really not too bad," she assured him. "I am so glad you are here," she continued, "Ron has been an insufferable jerk." 

Harry nearly burst into laughter at what she had said. 

"Now, Hermione," Lupin interjected, "That's not entirely fair. He is still feeling the effects of his injuries." 

Hermione flashed the werewolf a glare. Tonks, who had been hovering in the background picked her time wisely. "Erm, Remus, my good man, lets leave them to themselves. Come on, I bet you a glass of Fire whiskey that I can make it to the kitchen before you." Tonks and Lupin made their leave.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The following week passed quickly. Harry was not entirely trusting of the order or Dumbledore. He was both disappointed with him and shocked. To be honest, Harry only allowed the order to remain in the old wizard home for one reason-and one reason only: Sirius had allowed them. The order had a noble cause, but their methods were completely wrong. His thoughts were filled with indignation. 

He had spent most of his time with Hermione, awaiting approval for their NEWT level courses. Harry had carefully chosen them with Hermione. She had been rather insistent that they at least take advantage of the Black family library, if they had no homework, as of yet to do. 

The library itself was not as grand as the Hogwarts library. It was much smaller in comparison. This was much due to the fact that it lacked all books published after the 1800's. The oldest tomes in the library itself had to be from before the common era. 

The Weasleys, who had been staying at the burrow this summer, were to visit the next Sunday. Soon after would be Harry's birthday. It was at this occasion that they were to celebrate it. So, Harry would be receiving his presents from Hermione, Professor Lupin, and the Weasleys a little early. 

Harry had insisted that any celebration that took place was to be small. So, invitations were not handed out. Dumbledore, Luna Lovegood, and even Hagrid were not expected to be coming. 

"Harry?" Hermione interrupted him from his thoughts. "What are you thinking?" 

She was gracefully sitting on the sofa in the sitting room. The light from the gas-lighting, and fire place caught her hair just perfect. Small locks of her hair were hanging messily around her head. She wore a red turtleneck with a beige skirt. 

"Nothing really, you?" 

"I keep thinking about the past year," she confessed to him. "Everything happened so fast. Umbridge, and _The Quibbler_. And.. and... Sirius-oh Harry! Its all too overwhelming." 

"Its alright, Hermione." He got up from the arm chair that he had been sitting in, instead he sat next to her on the sofa. She let her head lean onto Harry's shoulder. The firelight illuminated her face. 

"Tell me what its like, Harry?" 

"What what is like?" 

"What being in a serious relationship is like? I have never had a proper boyfriend." 

"Well, Cho was mushy," he started, frowning as he went on, "I only had one proper date with her, and that didn't go so well. You know how that date went. Ron likes you I think, but Luna likes Ron." Harry observed. 

"Ron, likes me?" Hermione paled at the thought. "This makes life so much harder." She groaned. "Help me Harry, I like someone else, not Ron." 

Harry looked confused. "Who?" 

Hermione gawked at him. _How could boys be so.... thick?_ Now, she frowned. 

Harry took a moment to realize the inevitable. _Hermione liked him. Hermione liked him. Him._

He wasn't sure why it happened, or what made him do it. But one moment, he was staring down with surprise at Hermione's firelight lit face, the next he was holding her and giving a rather passionate kiss. 

They both parted with surprise. Their eyes were wide with surprise. 

"Erm, I have to–" 

"Yeah, I had better go–" 

They both promptly exited the room. Harry rushed to his room. There was a faint taste of strawberries on his lips. There was no doubt left in Harry's mind that he liked Hermione. He laid back upon his bed, thinking of that night, the kiss that they shared, and the secrets that they had revealed. Soon, Harry had fallen asleep.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The morning light hit Grimmauld Place at dawn. The sun came up slowly, shining through the magical windows. Since Professor Lupin, Tonks, and the two teens were the only people residing in the house, things were relatively quiet until the first operatives began to trickle in around 10am. 

Morning hit Tonks the hardest. Every morning, she would come out of her quarters mumbling something about everything being just like training. She would go to the kitchen and go to her not-so-secret stash of Fire Whiskey. 

Lupin told Harry a sip of the stuff would help her hangover go away. It was Sunday morning. The day the Weasleys were to come over. The past three days had been spent with Harry and Hermione avoiding each other. Both dreaded the inevitable talk. 

Lupin, Tonks, and Harry were casually eating a late breakfast in the kitchen. Kingsley Shacklebolt had stopped by briefly. Hermione was no where to be found. 

It was nearly noon before the first Weasley, who happened to be Ginny, came out of the fireplace. Harry took notice of the mixing bowl Ginny was holding. Soon after, the rest of the Weasleys arrived, each carrying food of some kind Mrs. Weasley spent the nearly 4 hours in the kitchen preparing everything. Harry, George, Charlie, and Ron we sitting in one corner of the kitchen playing a game of Exploding Snap happily while Ginny, and Hermione sat at the other end of the kitchen talking quietly. 

Harry made his way up to the dining room/den to celebrate his birthday. He was greeted full heartedly by Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Remus Lupin. He quickly greeted them, and then turned the corner, to the den to come face to face with none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry raised his eyebrows in shock. Dumbledore had not been invited. 

Harry composed himself quickly. 

"Ah, Professor Dumbledore, what brings you here?" Harry enquired. 

"A little business, a little pleasure." Dumbledore admitted to him. Mrs. Weasley inconveniently picked that moment to begin bringing out the food. "Ah! Molly! That smells simply heavenly." 

"Oh? Thank you, Albus. Are you going to stay to eat?" 

Dumbledore pressed past Harry. "You do this old man happy, Molly." 

"Ah, good good. Everyone! Foods ready. Harry come sit at the head of the table." 

Harry walked gingerly into the dinning room. He sat down at the head of the long table only to find Dumbledore had chosen the head at the other end of the table. He frowned slightly. Harry ate the food in front of him slowly, staring icily at Dumbledore. 

Dumbledore finished his food, immediately patting his lips with the expensive silk table cloth that he had conjured. He looked up, meeting Harry's eyes. "Harry, if you have a moment, perhaps we could speak in private?" 

Harry thought for a moment, then replied. "The parlor perhaps?" He turned to Mrs. Weasley, who was sitting on his right. "There is a case of butterbeer in the pantry, perhaps everyone would like to have some?" 

"Splendid!" Announced Dumbledore. "Shall we?" He led the way to the parlor, much to Harry's displeasure. 

Dumbledore immediately claimed the arm chair next to the fire. Harry sat in the middle of the old Victorian sofa, stretching each arm across the top of it on either side. He crossed one leg slightly over the other. With this, Dumbledore began. 


End file.
